File folder suspension for drawers



y 1969 w. H. SULLIVAN FILE FOLDER SUSPENSION FOR :DRAWERS Filed Aug. 8, 1967 I N VENT OR 14041.07! z-nsmauwwv,

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,456,994 FILE FOLDER SUSPENSION FOR DRAWERS William H. Sullivan, Shaker Heights, Ohio, assignor to Dictaphone Corporation, Rye, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 659,199

Int. Cl. B42f 15/00 US. Cl. 312184 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A drawer assembly for suspending file folders. The side panels of the drawer each has a longitudinally extending tongue along the upper edge. An elastomeric rail is applied over the tongue and secured interlocking engagement between the tongue and a corresponding longitudinal grove in the rail. The folders extend transversely in the drawer. A pair of rods are provided at the top of each folder and each rod supports one side of the folder, as it hangs vertically from the rods. Each rail has an upright rib extending longitudinally along the rail and the ribs are ofiset laterally from the center of the rail. The rails are preferably formed of an elastomeric material, so that they may be readily inserted over the tongues by spreading apart the groove portions of the rails. Since the lower portion of each rail is substantially symmetrical, the same rail shape can be used for either the right hand side panel or the left hand side panel of the drawer, with the offset rib being positioned toward the center of the drawer.

Background of the invention This invention relates to filing cabinets, and more particularly, to file drawer constructions for supporting suspension type file folders.

Suspension type file folders have a sheet of flexible material, such as paper, fabric, or plastic sheet which is suspended vertically in a loop from its opposite ends to form a pocket for receiving the records or other materials that are to be stored in the file folder. A suspension rod is attached along each of the opposite edges of the sheet material, and the opposite ends of these rods are supported on rails that are provided in the drawer of the filing cabinet. Usually, the suspension rods for the folders have a tab or hook which overlaps the rail to prevent the suspension rod from falling off of the rail.

Various rail constructions have been provided for supporting the ends of the suspension rods. Typically, these rails are mounted in a drawer by means of screw fasteners or other hardware, or by means of an adhesive. Thus, rail constructions heretofore proposed are awkward to assemble and are usually bulky and unattractive. Furthermore, the rails are mounted inside the drawer, so that the folders do not take up the full width of the drawer.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved drawer rail construction for suspension type file systems.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a drawer rail system that may be readily installed.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a drawer rail system that is attractive and allows the full width of the drawer to be utilized.

Summary of the invention These objects are accomplished in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention by a drawer having hanger rod support rails secured along the top edge of each of the side panels of the drawer. Each side panel has a tongue extending along the upper edge. The tongues have opposite sides which slope upwardly and outwardly "ice from the side panels. The rails each have a longitudinal groove with opposite sides that slope downwardly and inwardly, so that the groove cooperates in interlocking engagement with the tongue to secure the rail on the side panel. The rails are preferably formed of an elastomeric material which is sufiiciently deformable to allow the sides of the rail to be spread apart for applying the rail over the side panel tongue. The rail also includes an upright rib which is laterally offset from the center line of the rail. The lower portion of each rail is symmetrical about its longitudinal center line, so that the identical rail may be applied to either the right hand or the left hand side panels, with the rib being positioned on either side of the center line, as required.

Description of the drawings This preferred embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the drawer construction of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the drawer along the line 2-2 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view of one of the rails and side panels.

Description of the preferred embodiment A file drawer 2 is shown schematically in FIG. 1, and includes a front panel 4, a back panel 6, side panels 8 and 10 and a bottom panel 12. The side panels 8 and 10 are provided with rails 14 and 16 extending along their respective upper edges for supporting a suspension type file folder 18. This conventional folder 18 is formed of a sheet of flexible material 20 which is folded transversely and the fold is positioned adjacent the bottom 12 of the drawer. Each end of the sheet has a hanger rod 22 secured along the edge of the sheet in any conventional manner. Each hanger rod 22 has an end portion 24 which is supported on one of the rails 14 and 16. The end portions 24 preferably are in the form of a hook which overlaps the rail to center the folder 18 in the drawer and to prevent the hanger rod 22 from being displaced off of the rail accidentally. The folder material 20 forms a pocket to receive records or other file papers which are inserted between the two hanger rods 22.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the side panels 8 and 10 of the drawer each has an upper edge which is indicated generally at 26. Projecting upwardly from the edge 26 is a tongue 28 which extends along the entire length of each side panel 8 and 10. The tongue 28 has upwardly and outwardly sloping side walls 30, so that the tongue 28 is wider at the top than it is at the bottom.

The rails 14 and 16 have downwardly projecting flanges 32 which extend along the entire length of the rail. The flanges cooperate with the body of the rail to form a longitudinal groove 34 having side walls 36 which slope downwardly and inwardly in corresponding relation to the side walls 30 of the tongue 28. Preferably, the side walls 30 and 34 are inclined at an angle of approximately 5 from the vertical.

The rails 14 and 16 are formed of an elastomeric material, such as hard rubber or synthetic resins including polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamides such as nylon, polyvinyls, and cellulose derivatives such as cellulose acetate. The rails should have suflicient elasticity to permit the flanges 32 to be. spread apart to allow the tongue 28 to be inserted into the groove 34. Preferably, the rails 14 and 16 are of approximately the same width as the thickness of the side panels 8 and 10. Thus the rails appear as an extension of the side panels.

Each rail 14 and 16 includes an upright rib 38 which is offset from the center line of the rail and is positioned along one marginal edge of the rail. The rib forms a support for the end portion 24 of the hanger rod 22, as shown in FIG. 2. The rib 38 is positioned adjacent the inside surface of each side panel 8 and 10, but the same rail can be used for either side panel 8 or 10, merely by turning the rail end for end, since the groove 34 is symmetrical about the center line of the rail. The rails may be formed by extrusion in accordance with conventional practice, since the cross sectional shape of the rails is uniform along the length of the rails.

In assembling the rail construction of this invention, the side panels, from and back panels, and the bottom panel are assembled as shown in FIG. 1. The tongues 28 extending along the upper edges of each side panel 8 and 10 are exposed. The rail 14 is positioned over the groove 28 with the rib 38 adjacent the inside surface of the side panel -8. The flanges 32 are spread apart sufiiciently to allow the tongue 28 to enter the groove 34 as the rib is pressed onto the tongue 28, progressively from one end to the other. Similarly, the rail 16 is applied over the tongue 28 at the upper edge of the side panel 10, but the rail 16 is turned so that the rib 38 is positioned adjacent the inside surface of the side panel 10. The interlocking engagement between the tongue 28 and the groove 34 holds the rails 14 and 16 in place without adhesives or other securing means.

The rail construction of this invention may be readily applied without fasteners or tools and thus is an eflicient and convenient construction for providing support for the ends of hanger rods in suspension type file drawers. Since the groove portion of the rails is symmetrical, the same rail shape may be used for either of the side panels 8 and 10, which substantially reduces the cost of manufacture. In addition to the practical advantages of this construction, the rails present an attractive appearance, since there 3 are no unsightly projections in the inside of the drawer. The rails 14 and 16 give the top edges of the drawers an attractive finished appearance. Furthermore, by mounting the rails at the top edges of the drawer sides, the full width of the drawer can be utilized by the file folders.

I claim:

1. In a file cabinet having at least one file drawer comprising a front, back, bottom and spaced side walls, and a file holder having a rod extending between and supported at its opposite ends on the top of the spaced side walls of the drawer, that improvement in which the upper edge of each of said spaced sides of the drawer are shaped to form an upwardly projecting tongue located centrally thereof with lateral shoulders at opposite sides, an elastically deformable rail for each side wall having a groove into which the tongue projects and an upwardly projecting rib on.which one end of the rod is supported, the opposite sides of said tongue sloping outwardly and upwardly, and the flanges of each rail at opposite sides of the groove overlying the lateral shoulders of its side wall and gripping the sloping sides of its tongue whereby to resist removal of each rail from its side wall of the drawer.

2. A file cabinet inaccordance with claim 1 in which the rib projecting upwardly from the rail is offset from a medial plane through said rail, and the file holder rod having an abutment at each end which overlies the outside surfaces of said offset rib to maintain the folder rods in position on the rails and centered in the drawer.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,564,386 8/1951 Webb. 3,112,967 12/1963 Hood 3l2-184 3,273,564 9/1966 Feldrnahr.

FOREIGN PATENTS 581,280 8/1958 Italy.

CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 129-16 

